Children paid 7p an hour to make Poundland gifts

Four children have been rescued from a Delhi sweatshop after a seven-year-old boy was found working 98 hours a week making Christmas gifts destined for Britain.

Poundland said that they ‘do not tolerate child labour under any circumstances’

The boy, known as Ravi, was filmed working with seven other youngsters at the sweatshop used by an export firm that supplies cut-price chain store Poundland.

Dressed in rags, Ravi appeared emaciated and with marks on his face. An undercover report revealed he was working from 9am to 11pm, seven days a week, earning 7p an hour.

‘This is the first time that child labour has been exposed in making of shellac ornaments and gift items for exports,’ said Bhuvan Ribhu, national secretary of Indian children’s charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

The rescued children were taken to a safe house to await a reunion with their parents.

Eight-year-old Mohammad Hussain said: ‘I was brought to Delhi by a person who paid £14 to my family.’

The sweatshop delivers goods such as notebooks and mirrors to an Indian exporter Trishulin Overseas which in turn supplies Poundland.

Following the rescue, Poundland issued a statement saying it had launched an investigation into Trishulin’s compliance with its code of conduct.

‘As a result, all orders with Trishulin Overseas have been placed on hold,’ it said. ‘Trishulin Overseas is a new supplier to Poundland and, to date, Poundland has not received or sold any products supplied by the company.

‘Poundland does not tolerate child labour under any circumstances and will not work with companies that employ children.

‘Should we find that Trishulin Overseas has breached our code of practice, its products will not be sold in any Poundland store.’